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As the Florida Gators prepare to take on Arkansas this weekend, they’re without Kyle Trask‘s favorite target in the passing game, Kyle Pitts. A painful collision in last week’s game will relegate Pitts to the sideline, which will almost certainly be a detriment to the team’s offensive output. However, it opens the opportunity for other receivers on the team to increase their share of targets. One likely beneficiary is wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
Toney, who is draft eligible in the spring, is useful both in the run game and as a pass-catcher. Without Pitts available, it will be the latter skill that makes him most useful in this weekend’s contest. It will be a bit of a rebound game for Toney, who caught the ball seven times for a total of only 42 yards and lost yardage on his three carries while facing the Bulldogs last week.
Those numbers were considerably worse than his previous performances, and he’ll likely get ample opportunity to prove it was just a fluke on Saturday. He’s an outstanding player who thrives in the slot while breaking tackles and maintaining his balance. If he gets vertical, he can make defenders miss in open space as an occasional deep threat.
“I don’t really think about what I’m doing, I just see a hole and I hit it,” said Toney to CBS Sports. It’s seemed to work so far.
Even including his disappointing performance against Georgia, he’s no statistical slouch. Toney has a total of 29 completions, averaging 11.7 yards per completion. Impressively, he also leads the team in rushing average among players with at least 10 carries and is second on the team in receiving yards after Pitts.
Trask has white-hot in the Gators’ passing offense lately and Toney has clearly been a reliable target for him in previous games. There’s little reason to believe the Gators will change up the game plan that has enabled them to steamroll opponents all season, though the particulars will need to be tweaked a bit.
Toney will be the first-look option on a higher percentage of plays. Trask will have fewer trustworthy receivers, meaning defenseman can key in on where the ball will be thrown more easily. That only makes Toney’s elusiveness and YAC ability more valuable.
In short, the Gators can continue winning in Pitts’ absence. However, if it’s going to happen, Toney will need to be a big part of the equation.
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